Gov. Perry: Hoping KBH goes away (UPDATE)

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is armed with $12.5 million as she prepares to do battle with Gov. Rick Perry in the GOP primary, but the incumbent still seems to be hoping she’ll unilaterally disarm.

“My goal is to not have a primary. My goal is to run hard, and at the end of the day, hopefully Texans will think that it’s best to leave things as they are in this state,” Perry said after a meeting today of the Cash Management Committee.

Does that mean he thinks Hutchison may not run?

“Always a possibility,” Perry said as he walked away.

I’m waiting to hear from KBH’s campaign, but I’m not expecting an announcement that she’s withdrawing. She has changed her mind in previous years about challenging him for the governor’s spot, but this time she’s raised buckets of money and says she’ll formally announce in August.

Perry seemed to scoff a bit at the $6.7 million Hutchison raised the first half of this year. He noted he was barred from raising money throughout the legislative session and the following veto period but gathered $4.2 million in the nine days that were left to him in this reporting period.

“That’s pretty simple math. In nine days, we raised $4.2 million. In six months, she raised six-point-whatever-it-was. I think people are pretty smart to be able to analyze what that means,” he said.

UPDATE: Hutchison spokesman Hans Klingler said by e-mail, “Wishful thinking is not a successful campaign strategy but neither is Perry’s support for seizing private property or the highest property taxes in the nation.”

I’ve asked Miner if there’s a response to the response. I’m guessing there will be.

UPDATE: Response to the response from Miner, via e-mail: “By making false allegations two days in a row it’s clear credibility will not be a theme for the Senator.”